Paper sorter



Oct. 21, 1947, w, EVANS 2,429,349

PAPER SORTER Filed Sept. '9; 1943 3 lather w. Fvazw.

Patented Oct. 21, 1947 PAPER SOB/TEE Luther W. Evans, Richmond, Va.,assignor to Evans Specialty Company, Inc., Richmond, Va., a corporationof Virginia Application September 9, 1943, Serial No. 501,718

2 Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in paper sorters,

An object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofpaper sorters and to provide a simple, practical, and efiicient papersorter of strong, durable construction adapted for sorting various kindsof papers such as correspondence, checks, sales orders, and which willbe adapted for easy, convenient, and rapid use Where any type of sortingor classifying is required.

A further object of the invention is to provide a paper sorter of thischaracter adapted to be easily and cheaply manufactured at a greatlyreduced cost compared with the cost of sorters in present use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a paper sorter equippedwith hinged partition members, each constructed of a single piece ofwire or other suitable material, composed of laterally spaced sides anda connecting top portion forming an open frame adapted to be easilymanipulated and capable of readily receiving a label holder adapted toexpose a label at either or both sides of the hinged partition member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a label holder adapted tobe readily manufactured with any desired number of hinged partitionsections and which will be capable of enabling such hinged partitionsections to be readily adjusted in a desired spaced relation foradapting the paper sorter for the particular class of work in which itis desired to use the same.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a paper sorter whichmay be conveniently employed as a filing unit of a file cabinet andwhich may be readily removed therefrom and replaced therein withoutliability of any of its contents being displaced during such handling.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointedout in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a paper sorter constructed in accordance withthis invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail, fragmentary perspective view showing oneof the hinged partition members and illustrating the manner of mountingthe same.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view illustrating a modification of theinvention in which the hinged partition members are arranged at theupper (Cl. 2l110) 2 faces of the corrugated strips in recesses formed bythe same.

Referring to the drawings, the paper sorter illustrated in these figurescomprises in its construction a substantially oblong base I constructedof wood or any other suitable material and provided on its upper facewith laterally spaced, longitudinally disposed corrugated strips 2located adjacent the side edges of the base and forming upper and lowersubstantially semi-cylindrical portions providing bearing recesses 3 and4 adapted to receive bottom transverse pintle portions 5 of hingedpartition members 6 adapted to be swung in either directionlongitudinally of the base. Each of the hinged partition members 6 isconstructed of a single piece of wire or other suitable material andconsists of spaced sides I and top and bottom connecting portions 8 and9. The terminal portions of the wire are spot welded and Whilepreferably occurring at the center of the transverse top portion 8, mayof course be located at any other desired point, as will be readilyunderstood.

The bottom connecting portions 9 of the hinged partition members formtransversely disposed pintles which, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 ofthe drawings, may be located in the bottom bearing recesses 4 of thecorrugated longitudinal strips 2 but, as shown in Fig. 4 of thedrawings, the hinged partition members may be arranged in the upperbearing recesses 3 of the corrugated strips. When the pintles of thehinged partition members are arranged in the bottom recesses 4, theattachment of the corrugated strips by end fastening devices it willconfine the pintle portions 9 in said recesses if the corrugated stripsare arranged upon the flat upper surface of the base I. The base and thecorrugated strips may be of any desired length to provide a paper sorterof the desired capacity and to enable the paper sorter to be equippedwith any desired number of hinged partition members. Also, thecorrugated strips forming the bearing recesses will enable the hingedpartition members to be arranged with any desired spacing between themfor accommodating the contents and for adapting the paper sorter forsorting and classifying papers and the like where any type of sorting orassifying is required or desired.

When the hinged partition members are arranged in the upper bearingrecesses 3, as illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, longitudinalpintle confining member I! is employed. The longitudinal pintleconfining member 1! may consist of a single sheet of material orstraight strips may be employed and said member H is arranged upon thecorrugated strips and may be secured to the base by any suitable means,preferably by end fastening devices 92. A single sheet extendingsubstantially entirely across the 3 base is preferable and presents asmooth continuous upper surface overlying the pintles.

The hinged partition members which are preferably tapered downwardly, asclearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, may be of any otherdesired configuration and they are adapted to be supported in aninclined position at either end of the base by end supports 13 fixed tothe base at the upper face thereof. Each end support may be convenientlyconstructed of a single piece of sheet metal, preferably of a width toextend entirely across the base and bent at spaced points at M and 15 toform oppositely inclined sides 16 and H, and a horizontal bottom portionE8 to which the lower terminal of the side 16 is preferably spot weldedor otherwise secured to the bottom portion 18. The bottom portion 18 isextended beyond the side I6 in a direction 1ongitudinal of the base toprovide an attaching portion 19 adapted to be secured to the upper faceof the base by suitable fastening devices 20. The bottom portion N3 ofthe end support fits flat against the upper face of the base and theinclined portions l3 preferably extend upwardly from the end edges ofthe base but the supports may be arranged in any convenient positionwith relation to the ends of the base.

The hinged partition members are adapted to be swung in either directionand will be supported b one or the other of the end supports when swungto the limit of their movement in either direction.

The hinged closure plates 2!, which may be constructed of sheet metal orany other suitable material, are preferably tapered at the lowerportions and are provided at their lower ends with laterally extendingpintles 22 which are preferably arranged in the end bearing recesses ofthe corrugated strips 2. The laterally extending pintles may beconveniently formed of wire and spot welded or otherwise secured to thehinged closure plates at the lower edges thereof. The hinged closureplates are adapted to swing with the hinged partition members and formclosures for completely closing the openings of the members.

The hinged partition members are provided at their top transverseconnecting portions with substantially rectangular loops 23 which arealternately arranged at opposite sides of the paper sorter, asillustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Any suitable label holder 24 maybe employed and may be conveniently secured to the end portions of therectangular loop formations 23 by tongues 25 which are bent around theends of the label supporting loops 23. The label holders, which havewindow openings 26, are provided at the top and bottom thereof withguideway 21 which slidably receive labels 28 and which are open at theouter ends to permit the labels to be readily introduced into andremoved from the guideways. The label holders may be constructed toexpose labels at both sides of the label holder so that the paper sortermay be equipped with labels for sorting and classifying papers, slips,and the like, of two different classes or types and as any number ofhinged partition members may be provided, a paper sorter of any desiredrange may be readily provided.

What is claimed is:

l. A paper sorter of the class described including a base, laterallyspaced horizontally disposed corrugated strips secured to the base andforming transversely aligned bearings, a set of partition members comosed of laterally spaced sides and top and bottom connecting portionsforming open frames, the bottom connecting portions being arranged insaid bearings and said partition members extending upwardly from thebase and arranged to swing toward and from either end of the same, endclosure plates extending upwardly from the base and having lowerportions tapered to a width less than the space between the corrugatedstrip and provided with laterally projecting pintles arranged in saidbearings, said end closure plates having a length substantially equal tothe length of said open frames and forming closures for andsubstantially covering the openings of the entire set of partitionmembers at both ends of said set when the sorter is empty and movablewith the partition members toward either end of the base, one of saidend closure plates receiving and directly supporting the entire set ofpartition members when the set is swung to either end of the base, andend supports constructed of sheet metal and composed of oppositelyinclined sides and a bottom portion connecting the sides and extendingbeyond the inclined sides and forming attaching portions secured to thebase, said end supports being arranged to afiord a fixed support at eachend of the base for the closure plates and the partition members whenthe same are swung to either or both ends of the base.

2. A paper sorter of the class described including a base, a set ofpartition members extending upwardly from the base, each havinglaterally spaced sides and a top connecting portion, the partitionmembers being entirely open at the space defined by the sides and thetop connecting portions, end closure plates extending upwardly from thebase at the ends of the set of partition members and having a lengthsubstantially equal to the length of the partition members and a widthapproximately that of the partition members and forming closures for andsubstantially covering said open spaces of the partition members at bothends of the set when the sorter is empty and movable with the partitionmembers toward either end of the base, one of said end closure platesreceiving and directly supporting the entire set of partition memberswhen the set is swung to either end of the base, laterally disposedpintles located at the lower ends of the partition members and the lowerends of the closure plates, and corrugated strips having transverselyaligned bearings receiving said pintles and hinging the partitionmembers and the closure plates to the base, said strips being secured tothe base.

L. W. EVANS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 428,555 Dom May 20, 18902,233,094 Casey Feb. 25, 1941 764,299 Marsh July 5, 1904 999,974 FauthAug. 8, 1911 1,028,978 Tobbenboske June 11, 1912 1,038,841 Brown Sept.1'7, 1912 1,405,993 Fargo Feb. '7, 1922 1,440,491 Proudfit Jan. 2, 19231,682,667 Eifel Aug. 28, 1928 1,840,783 McCarthy Jan. 12, 1932 2,048,586Anderl July 21, 1936 1,836,234 Furlong Dec. 15, 1931

